15. Gravod

I hated being away from my mate. It went against all my instincts, leaving me anxious and irritated. But she was human. I had to give her space or it might never work.

As I busied myself between the bar and my house next door, I could barely concentrate on the tasks in front of me. Images of her body, of her reactions to my touch, kept me semi-hard and distracted. But some things needed my attention.

Ryoch had sent me a vague text about Thylor, that he was "taken care of." When I tried to call him back, Ryoch didn't answer. That wasn't so unusual. He worked long hours as a doctor, so we didn't see him much at the bar, and he typically didn't answer his phone if he was at the hospital.

Thylor hadn't reappeared. Ryoch was good at de-escalating, and his text indicated he thought the issue had been managed. Still, it had only been a day. I knew better than to assume the threat was gone.

Many times, Thylor made a show of being appeased, only to have a fresh outburst a few days later. Whenever it happened, I'd go to bed dreading that he and some of the other males would take the ship and leave in the night.

It was supposed to be a one-way journey. That was what we'd all signed up for. But Lydaxians were fundamentally a pragmatic species, and there was always a contingency plan. As committed as we all were to finding our mates, the ship was our way home if the mission failed. If something went wrong.

Failure was unlikely. We were natural spies, with technical skills that allowed us to create believable identities and blend in with any civilization we encountered. But that didn't mean we were infallible. Mistakes happened.

If our identities were compromised—if we were discovered—I had strict orders to abandon the mission. To destroy any evidence of our presence. In the most extreme circumstances, to wipe memories and vaporize physical traces.

To leave.

And in order to do that, we'd need Thylor as the ship's engineer. It was why he'd been conscripted, in addition to the tests showing he was compatible with humans.

I'd never failed at a mission, and I didn't plan to start now. It was personal, for all of us. But Thylor was unpredictable.

There had been unguarded moments when I thought I'd glimpsed his desire for a mate. Once, I caught him listening to other males in a heated discussion about what their human females might be like, and the expression on his face had been one of unmasked longing.

But then he'd embrace resentment and explode at us, demanding to return to Vytaris. Where he would never find a companion. Never find a mate.

I didn't understand him at all. And that made him dangerous.

The time neared for me to pick up Jess. I turned off the oven in my small kitchen, leaving the dish inside to keep warm, and locked up. After a few paces down a narrow dirt path, I was at the back exit of the bar, opening it to go in.

It was a Saturday night, so even now the place was full. A mix of familiar Lydaxian faces, as well as a handful of shifters. The bears were there again, and they seemed to be getting along with everyone.

There was something in the air, a feeling of anticipation. A sense that at any moment, some male's mate could walk through the door. Just like my Jess.

Mathol stood behind the bar. He'd been good-natured about taking over my duties while I pursued my mate. I would do the same for him when he found his female. He looked up from pouring a beer and gave me a grin as I walked over.

"Everything ready for your date, Captain?"

I groaned. "You have to stop calling me that."

Mathol laughed. "It'll take some getting used to, but I'll try harder." He put the beer down in front of Jake.

Just the shifter I wanted to talk to.

I sat on the stool next to him, and Jake glanced over at me with a smirk. Then he frowned.

"You don't look as happy as I expected for a guy who spent the night with his mate."

He was fishing for confirmation, but I wasn't ready to share any details.

"I could use your help. Thylor is missing, and my mate has a male making trouble for her at work."

A quiet growl sounded from Jake's chest. "Thylor. My wolf has been agitated around that guy ever since we started coming here." He took a drink of his beer. "I can put some of my pack on it, have them look for him. What's the other situation?"

My chest warmed at his easy offer of assistance. I knew Jake didn't choose his friends lightly. It was an honor to be a part of his circle.

"Jess's boss is her ex-boyfriend. He's threatening her department and a project that means a lot to her personally." I felt my anger rising just talking about it, my hands balling into fists.

Jake blew out a breath and shook his head. "Sounds like HR would be all over that."

"Jess said something to that effect. But I want to make sure he's not a threat to her."

He raised a brow. "What are you thinking? I'm not in the business of making people disappear, you know."

Damn.

"Nothing like that. I was thinking more about…teaching him a lesson. Your wolf might play a part."

Jake snorted. "Shit. Why not? I could use some excitement."

I gripped his shoulder. "Thank you."

"No problem. Messing with dickheads is one of my favorite pastimes." He let out a sigh. "Don't worry about it right now, though. You've got a date, right? Go enjoy your mate."

I nodded and let go of his shoulder. "You'll find yours soon."

"God, I hope so," he murmured into his beer.

Everything at the bar was well in hand, and it was time to pick up Jess.

I felt more at ease the closer I got to her apartment. Every cell in my body needed to be near her, and my foot was heavy on the accelerator. When I arrived, I parked quickly, jogged to her front step, and rang the bell.

Jess opened the door, and I could barely hold back my ta'laps. I reminded myself to breathe.

"You look lovely. Gorgeous."

She was stunning, wearing a blue summer dress that hugged her curves. Her hazel eyes flashed with emotion at my compliment. Did she not know how beautiful she was? I would make sure to tell her again and again. If human males didn't fall at her feet, they were idiots.

"Thank you." Her gaze skimmed down my front, and I saw her pulse quicken. "You look good too." She locked her apartment.

I guided her to my car, my hand at the small of her back, giving in to the possessive need to touch her. Now that I was with her, breathing in her scent, the tension from being apart finally faded away.

Once we were on the road, she let out a quiet laugh.

"What is it?"

"I think I expected alien technology in here, but it's just a regular mid-sized car." She tapped at the dash display. "Do you listen to music?"

"I do. Feel free to pick something."

By the time I pulled up to the bar, she'd found my collection of bossa nova, and we were both humming along. I parked in the back and let the song finish before turning off the car.

Jess sighed. "I have so many questions right now. How do you know about human music? How do you speak English so well? How did you end up here?" She motioned toward the bar through the car window.

"Let's go inside and I can answer all your questions." I got out and went around to her door.

Taking her hand to help her out of the car sent a current through my body, and I could taste sagar in my mouth. As we walked along the short trail that led to my house, I willed my lithis not to swell.

"Oh, wow. I didn't see this place back here before."

"It came with the bar."

I let her in and closed the door while she took in the space. The house was small, and soon her scent filled it, spreading into every corner of my domain. I had to suppress the feral urge to bend her over.

Suddenly every surface, every piece of furniture I owned, was the perfect height to take her on. It would be so easy to lift her skirt and plunge inside her wet heat. Make her call my name.

"Oh," she whispered, her head tilting to the side.

Jess wasn't looking in my direction, and a sense of unease came over me, cooling my arousal.

"Yes?"

She pursed her lips. "I have questions."